Nvidia shows PhysX technology growing in game popularity

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Yesterday, Nvidia issued four separate press releases relating to its PhysX gaming technology, a product which allows for more realistic and life-like actions by characters and components within video games. We learned back in March when Nintendo licensed PhysX Technology for its Wii gaming system — which uses an ATI graphics chip — that PhysX is not platform dependent. It’s actually a software suite which can either be executed on Nvidia’s GPU, or using traditional CPU hardware. Note: Presumably it could also work on ATI’s graphics cards, however may not be to Nvidia’s advantage to offer such a thing.{ad}

According to Bo Andersson, CEO at GRIN, in speaking about the Terminator video game:

NVIDIA PhysX technology really allows us to do things in the game that we couldn’t do before. A world run by Skynet is indeed a scary one, and by working with NVIDIA and the PhysX teams very closely, we were able to make the Terminator Salvation game environments look and react as realistically as they do in the film. Gamers are going to be in for a real treat.

Sega has been using PhysX technology for several years, but this new agreement enables our studios to take advantage of the full portfolio of cross-platform PhysX engines. APEX was an important factor in our decision because it enables us to create high quality physics content in an easier and more productive manner.

APEX is a type of content creation assist tool which uses PhysX technology, but wields it in a way which makes game development a little smoother with the PhysX implementation. Sega will be planning games for PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and iPhone, many of which can not only be accelerated by PhysX at the software level, but also by CUDA — making for even more realistic gaming abilities.

The first-person shooter game, Darkest of Days, due out this Fall, allows a person to travel through time and see some historic battles. Its game developers at 8monkey Labs said:

It was critical to the success of Darkest of Days that these epic moments in world history are experienced in eerily accurate detail, and NVIDIA PhysX technology helped us achieve that goal. Our Marmoset Engine brings these battles to life with a completely unique look, and the PhysX technology was instrumental in making the game feel alive and real.

And finally, Capcom Entertainment’s Dark Void is a sci-fi action adventure game due out in the Fall. It incorporates a vertical combat system which allows players to literally dangle from thousand foot drops, which the company claims brings a whole new sense of vulnerability to the game, and is powered by Nvidia’s PhysX technology for more realistic effects, and APEX for accelerated game development.

Its game designers said:

The extensive capabilities that NVIDIA PhysX and APEX technologies provide to developers is colossal. For example, the new APEX turbulence module that NVIDIA recently introduced allows us to have infinite artistic freedom in the way the game looks, plays, and feels. We hope that gamers will appreciate these fine touches when they play Dark Void later this year.